MIF04

Bad proof reading on my part. I will correct those errors as well as the one that shows Jeff Stringer is from Lamar (oops -- Bridge City but has committed to Lamar). Editing to be done soon....

Obviously, Yahtzee has had a bad day (maybe experience?) with a hitting instructor. He claims to be a coach (which begs the question: what has HE ever won?) but I digress... In my opinion, the best 'teachers' are Matt Thompson, David Huggins, JR Bardin and Blake Justice. Each of them have solid baseball resumes that include playing and coaching at the professional/college levels. Their team has 'won' -- i.e., USA Jr. Olympics Championship (which is the biggest tourney nation-wide hands down). They compete in every major national event and compete well. But really...you don't want a coach to just 'win', you want them to teach your kid and make your kid a better player. That is what 'select' is (and should be) all about. This group of coaches have taught and developed an entire group of kids that have gone to play at the next level. Last year's group had 2 guys drafted and 10 that have college scholarships. This year's group already has 6 college scholarships...and the season hasn't even started yet (much less the draft). This group isn't exclusive. There are a lot of good teachers around the area. I just hold the opinion that they're the best. I'm not sure why Yahtzee has this particular burr under his saddle but I respectfully disagree...

I think you sell instructors/coaches short. Granted, a lot of kids have 'SKILLS' but developing those into the tools that translate at the D1 level is another matter. I think you gotta have both...

First, there are a lot of good people in the area but IMO: Matt Thompson (hitting and pitching) David Huggins (pitching) JR Bardin (hitting and catching) Blake Justice (infield) Most of the D1 kids the last couple of years have gone through these guys; therefore, their results do speak for themselves.

Nominations will remain open and the staff will compare notes until after SETX announces its football team on Jan. 3rd. Then our baseball selections will be released.

I appeciate that Silsbee has a lot of their players from a very good team returning; however, to say that Jasper 'only' has Hart or BC 'only' has Dishon is misleading. Jasper returns their C (Steelhammer) and 2 pretty good pitchers (if healthy) in Regan and Parsons. BC returns their C (Jackson) along with INF Bolton and 2 pretty good pitchers in Stringer and Meeks. Had those 2 guys not been 'stuck' behind 2 D-1 pitchers (Angelle and Haymon), you wouldv'e heard a lot more about them. I guarantee you BH remembers Stringer. With that being said, Silsbee should be the favorite in that district. Schooling is a front line guy at the HS level and McDonald a more than adequate #2. I think Skinner is the (long term) most projectible pitcher they got but he is raw. Calhoun is a legitimate keeper in CF. I think it will be an interesting district this year...

I would think as a team it should be West Brook with Ferguson (.446), Murphy (.413), Serna (.398), Armstrong (.390) and Lycan (.344) leading the way. Add Schwarzlose (.286) and Wallace (.238 but 2 HR as soph). The Bruins should, again, hit and hit well. As far as the best hitter, that is very subjective (hit for average, power, etc.). I think the guys at West Brook (Ferguson, Murphy, Serna and Armstrong) all could make a case as could Rowell (LCM), Dishon (BC), Jackson (BC), Hart (Jasper), McFarland (Nederland), Calhoun (Silsbee), Campbell (BH) and Riley (Woodville). If you look for college level hitters, a strong group has already made commits to D1 programs (Ferguson, Murphy, Rowell, Dishon and Riley). I think others out of the list will sign D1 during/immediately after the HS season. From the younger group, Jackson, Hart and McFarland are a pretty good core of underclassman. You also have Gardiner (Ozen) and Bunner (Vidor) along with Harrington and Carnahan (both PNG). Just a really good group of hitters all around in SE Texas. I'm sure I've missed some, but there are a lot of 'em.

With all due respect, I am aware that many, many years ago, Coach Raab (who is a fine man, etc.) did coach baseball at West Brook, so I do think that I do my homewor. I meant no disrespect to him (or Coach Long) but I think you missed the point of my post. The fact remains, however, is that Raab is at Kelly for their football program (as is, obviously, Coach Long). It indicates an emphasis (at least in my feeble mind) somewhere other than the baseball program...especially when you lose not one, but two, really good baseball guys in Huggins and Bardin.

Does it sound like maybe the emphasis at Kelly is not on baseball? Maybe football...

Nope. They're both gone...

Johnny Dishon -- Bridge City Tore his ankle to shreds early vs. Kelly and did not miss a game. In fact, he rarely missed a play (offense, defense, special teams). And every game, he was the opponent's 'target'. No kid got him more all year than him and no one sacrificed himself more for his team than him. If its not him, then I guess I don't understand what "Ironman" means....

One has to like Nederland as the "top dog" in this district. A group that includes Helmke, Sampere, McFarland, Mosely, etc. will be tough to beat over the course of the district schedule. It is traditionally a very competitive district and this year should be no different. Following that, PNG should be 2nd with the arms they have although they may suffer from the same defensive lapses that hurt them so bad last year. The race for third could be interesting. Tradition puts LCM in the thick of things and Griff knows how to win. Ozen has an interesting team with 3 legitimate pitchers (Lott, Gardiner and James) but the ongoing question of depth. Vidor should be equally competitive with their group and Kyle Green stirring the mix. I predict a race of upsets for the final playoff spots.

HERE IS THE WEST BROOK SCHEDULE AS POSTED ON THEIR WEB SITE (IF YOU CAN MAKE SENSE OF IT). Date Opponent Varsity JV Soph Scrimmages Scrimmages Scrimmages Sat. 2/3 Marathon 8:00 8:00 8:00 Tues. 2/6 PNG/Jasper @3:00 at Jasper @4:00 at PNG 4:00 Sat. 2/10 LCM 12:00 @12:00 @12:00 Mon. 2/12 Clear Creek @4:00 Tues. 2/13 PNG 4:00 4:00 Sat. 2/17 Ned/Lufkin @12:00 at Lufkin 12:00 12:00 Non- District Non- District Non- District Tues. 2/20 OZEN 6:00 @4:00 PNG 4:00 Thurs. – Sat.2/22-24 Houston Christian Tourn tba Clear Creek tba Ned. Tourn. tba Mon. 2/26 Central 6:00 @5:00 LCM 4:00 Thurs. Sat.3/1-3/3 WBTourn. Tba Fri. 3/2 Kelly @4:00 DH 3:00 DH Tues. 3/6 Vidor @6:00 4:00 4:00 Thurs.- Sat.3/8-10 Barbe Tourn. tba LCM Tourn. tba tba District District District Tues. 3/13 Atascocita @6:30 6:45 4:30 Fri. 3/16 Kingwood 6:30 @6:45 @4:30 Tues. 3/20 Lee @6:30 6:45 4:30 Fri. 3/23 Sterling @6:30 6:45 4:30 Tues. 3/27 Memorial 6:30 @6:45 @4:30 Fri. 3/30 Humble @6:30 6:45 4:30 Tues. 4/3 Channelview 6:30 @6:45 @4:30 Thurs. 4/5 Atascocita 6:30 @6:45 @4:30 Tues. 4/10 Kingwood @6:30 6:45 4:30 Fri. 4/13 Lee 6:30 @6:45 @4:30 Mon. 4/16 Sterling 4:00 Fri. 4/20 Memorial @6:30 6:45 4:30 Sat. 4/21 Sterling @3:15 @1:00 Tues. 4/24 Humble 6:30 @6:45 @4:30 Fri. 4/27 Channelview @6:30 6:45 4:30 West

I have ready Bobby Straface’s ‘reply’ and am reminded of the line from the song that “the handshake hides the snakeâ€. I remind him (and everyone else) that I did not come looking for this ‘debate’. One of his ‘people’ made a post that required my response and, as the saying goes, we’re off to the races. As usual, Bobby is a good salesman …nothing more, nothing less. If just anyone were to comment about my prior post that “none of it was trueâ€, I would be offended. When Bobby says it, I get downright angry…Bobby knows it is true, and damn well knows that I know it is true. First, Bobby Straface has “started†his select organization in SE Texas because it flopped in North Texas. It ended when his ‘Director of Baseball Operations’ quit because he did not like how the program was taking advantage/misleading the players. Then, after ‘enjoying’ the “Big Timers Experienceâ€, all but 1 of their players chose not to return. We have talked to that ‘Director of Baseball Operations’. We have found a wealth of information about this on other public sites. I would not make any such statements about an organization without first doing so. Here are what some of those public comments were, mainly from 'satisfied customers' (a/k/a parents): ‘After the experience [with Bobby Straface], “all but 1 decided not to return.†‘Bobby made a lot of “pretty tall claims that he could get kids recruited and scholarships. That pretty much did not happen…Bobby is a real good salesman however…I would be very skeptical.†‘Bobby was “overhyping what he could do and would do for the playersâ€. He just never delivered on any of it.’ These are not my words. These are not the words of anyone affiliated with me. These are the words of parents who trusted Bobby Straface and the Big Timers organization only to find out he does not deliver on what he promises. When Bobby claimed that it was harshly unfair for me to say that he “promised things we cannot deliverâ€, I respond with what other parents have experienced. Those are not my claims. Those are the facts from people who had the 'benefit' of his organization. Second, I know for a “gospel fact†that Bobby Straface has made significant misrepresentations to players and college coaches about his relationship to those players and coaches (By the way, Bobby…today’s cell phones do allow people to record their conversations with you). At the sake of (some) brevity, here are just two examples: (1) Player (one of our select players) gets a telephone call from Bobby Straface, indicating that he is having lunch with the coaches from [a Big 12 university], and that he can ‘guarantee’ a scholarship. Bobby then hands the phone to a person that he claims is a coach at that university so the two of them can talk. The supposed coach tells the player he will get the scholarship if he listens to Bobby and uses him as his advisor. Player calls us. We advise player that this phone call occurred during a ‘dead period’ for recruiting and would be an NCAA violation. Since we know the school and coaches allegedly involved, we call them to question the conduct. To our surprise (and relief), the conversation never took place as these college coaches were literally hundreds of miles away when the alleged phone call took place. We call the player and question him. The phone call was recorded and we verify the player’s version. Bottom line? Either Bobby Straface (a) engaged in an NCAA violation or ( blatantly lied to a player in an effort to ‘sign him up’. (2) I received a telephone call from the recruiting coordinator at a major D-1 university (‘major’ enough to have recently won the National Championship) that I had met in East Cobb, Georgia. He had received a telephone call from Bobby Straface claiming to represent one of our players that he would ‘deliver’. The player was very interested in the school, and the recruiting coordinator was interested in the player; hence the call to me. I talked to the player’s family. They had no relationship whatsoever (representation, advisor, etc.) with Bobby. Bottom line? School got cold feet on recruiting the player and the player went elsewhere. Third, Bobby Straface has lied about my organization and my coaches in an effort to “recruit†our players (which, interestingly, required him to ‘sign up’ with his management/agency organization). I happened to be with the parent(s) when he called them and the call was put on ‘speaker phone’. During that conversation, he claimed that our head coach (Matt Thompson) had only had 1 coaching job in his entire life (hitting coach at Lamar) and got ‘run off’ from that job. The rest of our coaches were ‘less qualified’ than that. Here are some facts about Matt Thompson. Matt started working with us while he was still a coach at Lamar University. He chose to leave Lamar, quite frankly, because our program offered him (and his family) a better opportunity personally and financially. He did not get ‘run off’ as Bobby claimed. Moreover, Matt Thompson’s background (of which Bobby is obviously ignorant) is a quality background: · Prior to Lamar, Matt was the Head Coach at Broward CC that plays in JUCO Division 8 (toughest division nationally in JUCO ball). His 2003 recruiting class included 8 players that were drafted by MLB. · Previous, he was the Head Coach at South West CC where they were ranked in the Top 25 nationally each year in hitting (including 4th nationally in 2001). · All in all, as a Head Coach Matt has coached 17 players drafted by MLB, 2 All Americans and 18 All Region selections. · As Jim Gilligan said, “Matt has an extensive understanding of hitting and has the communicative skills to relate it to the hitters.†In addition to that, Matt has been (on multiple occasions) helped select our country’s national teams for USA Baseball (the same guys who run our Olympics team) and has been asked to serve as a coach for them. Clearly, Matt Thompson is a quality coach and, just as clearly, Bobby Straface made blatant misstatements about him…all to ‘recruit’ a high school player and attempt to sign him on the proverbial dotted line. Fourth, we do have a solid record of developing players from a young age (13) and obtaining college scholarships for them. Bobby cannot make that claim…because he (and his organization) has never done it (here or in the Dallas area before they ‘left town’). He claims that they work on a ‘daily basis’ with college coaches (hopefully, not like the examples listed above) but I have yet to meet the player that got a Div. 1 scholarship because of Bobby Straface or his organization. I’m not saying he hasn’t…maybe he has (but I haven’t met that player). I am aware that he ‘represents’ several players as their ‘agent’ or ‘advisor’. He signed those players after they were developed, and after they were already good. Do not mistake the claims of SSE Group with those of Big Timers baseball. They are not the same. I am proud of our record (not wins/losses, but success in building players and sending them to a higher level). I am proud of our organization. Bobby ‘wishes’ he had our financial resources but he (again) missed the point. The point (from our perspective) is that we do not have a financial stake in this debate, nor do we have a financial motive. Our ‘stake’ is in the betterment of baseball in this area, and betterment of the baseball players in this area. Bobby complains that we ‘constantly bash’ Big Timers, etc. on this board. That, sadly, is another mistruth. I did reply when his folks opened this ‘can of worms’ but I doubt (like everything else) that he can support that statement. I don’t want this to continue…but if Bobby thinks he can (in essence) call me a ‘liar’ and expect me to sit silently then he is as mistaken about that as he is about nearly everything else. I do note, however, that not once has Bobby Straface ever called me to discuss my concerns (nor even sent me a PM). I’m not that hard to find… Lastly, I am a ‘baseball guy’. Too much energy has been taken up on this issue. Don’t take my word for it…take the word of those who have been through the Big Timers’ program and be wary. These people will tell you about “pretty tall claims†that “pretty much did not happenâ€, about “overhyping†and warning others to be “very skepticalâ€. Again, I didn't create those statements -- I am just reporting them. I just want what is best for the players. I do not want their money, or to take the credit for their success (I agree with “The Voiceâ€â€¦credit to the players who work hard and parents as the “CEO†of their kids). The simple fact is that Bobby Straface and the Big Timers is not a ‘threat’ to our organization. Never has been, never will be…but I will not stand idly by while his organization, volunteers, etc. take shots at mine. We have done too much, too well, for too long to deserve that. And I will not let him mislead any parent or any player about me. I hope this is my last word on the subject. My hatchet’s buried... Chip Ferguson SE Texas Sun Devils Beaumont, Texas “And proud of itâ€

While I really do not want to be drawn into this debate, this post is so full of half truths, non truths and misinformation that I cannot let it sit without reply: 1. Our coaches were invited to the tryout. The tryout was, by the way, open to the public). 2. The only parents that were directly talked to are all the parents of players who chose to join our team. I would expect our coaches to speak positively about our organization and have no knowledge of any ‘degrading’ comments made about the other organization. If those were made, I would like to know what ‘degrading’ comments were made (and this really doesn’t require a public post – I’ll take a PM). 3. Obviously, this poster is unaware of The Big Timers past history and prior course of conduct, much of which has been directed against us. a.They have sat outside our dugout at our games and tried to recruit our players (and parents) during our games. b. I have also had their coaches call my players and parents and outright lie about our coaches, their background and their qualifications. At best, that shows a lack of knowledge (“It s better to be quiet and let people think you know nothing rather than opening your mouth and removing all doubtâ€). At worst, it is an intentional attempt to mislead people. By the way, I have actually heard some of these conversations. c. Their coaches have called college coaches and outright misrepresent that they ‘represented’ a player who could be “had†with the “right word†from them. d. I have had their coaches misrepresent things about me and threaten me. e. I think these things speak volumes about their ‘professionalism†and “ethicsâ€. 4. Our organization has never been ‘run out of town’ – theirs has. Our organization doesn’t try to make money off our players – theirs does. We don’t make ‘idle’ promises to induce our players/parents to ‘purchase hope’. We deliver for all our players, at no cost. Our only motivation is (a) to make our players better and ( provide them with the opportunity to play at the next level. No strings, no money…just young men getting better at the greatest game ever… 5. And, as far as “Baseball4fan†not wanting his 13 year old son playing for us, that is unfortunate for him and his son. We started our program with 13 year olds. To date, every player that has stayed thru graduation has received a scholarship to the next level. Our upcoming graduating class already has 7 players who have received D-1 scholarships in the early signing period. I anticipate more during the Spring. These results speak for themselves. We deliver on our promises. I really didn’t want this to happen but I could not let silence be construed as some tacit agreement with the prior post. As far as a rivalry, we’re not the organization who needs to establish a record of success…we already have one.

Woodville's field is top notch and almost always in great condition.

It is time for our annual Pre-season picks: This includes nominations for All-SETX team, MVP, Newcomer as well as what teams should be in our Top Ten. Returning from last year's All-SETX team: FIRST TEAM: Soph of Year: Ross Hales (LHP-Barbers Hill) Taylor Hart (Inf.-Jasper) and Casey Jackson (C-Bridge City) Frosh of Year: Aaron Hazlewood (C-Kirbyville) Infielder: Tim Ferguson (WB), David Murphy (WB) Outfield: Rocky Calhoun (Silsbee), Johnny Dishon (BC), Mark Serna (WB) Catcher: Cameron Campbell (BH) Pitcher: Joel Schooling (Silsbee) Utility: Braden Riley (Woodville) SECOND TEAM: Infielder: Aaron McFarland (Nederland), Thad Lycan (WB) Outfield: Bobby Armstrong (WB) Michah Mosely (Nederland) Catcher: Jake Rowell (LCM) Pitcher: Kevin McDonald (Silsbee) Utility: Josh Gardiner (Ozen) SPEAK NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE. WE WILL TRY TO GET THESE OUT BY JANUARY !!!!

I'm not sure I agree with that...but they're young and a lot will be known after this Spring. There is some talent there. I do agree with that.

How about the 2005 class from West Brook alone? Jay Bruce (1st round, 12th overall) to Red James Ewing -- fresh. All American @ Arkansas Michael Ewing -- fresh All American @ So. Miss.

During his day, Tony Oliva was one of the very best hitters in the game. Killebrew was huge...and a huge slugger (he once tore his hamstring on a swing and a miss). But as a hitter? Oliva by far....

No, it is a big deal. There are a # of kids who have signed with top notch programs: Jeff Stringer signed with Lamar. Jake Rowell with McNeese. Braden Rile with Sam Houston. All good, solid local schools. Tim Ferguson (Mississippi), David Murphy (Houston) and Johnny Dishon (LSU) all signed with recognized national programs. It is impressive but there have been a lot of good baseball classes come out of SE Texas. I would look for more to get D1 offers including Bobby Armstrong (West Brook) and Mark Serna (West Brook). Armstrong is still considering offers while Serna may wait until after he has recovered from off-season ankle surgery.

Granted I may be biased in favor of the '07 group, but the '06 had a lot of talent. Hell, the '06 LCM team alone was talented....

Of those 3, Bardin by a long shot. Not even close. If nothing else, it is worth it to work thru the swing on his computer programs which are 'state of the art'. Good luck.

Somebody is selling some bad 'wacky tabacky' over in Sour Lake....